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Life Impulse and Death Impulse

To receive this love note from your online Abbess direct to your in-box, click here: “And how would God be known as the Eternal One if brilliance did not emerge from God?  For there is no creature without some kind of radiance–whether it be greenness, seeds, buds, or another kind of beauty.” —St. Hildegard of Bingen Dearest wondrous monk and artist souls, Thank you for all the beautiful replies I received from last week’s love note about following the thread to Mary and the gift of pears.  Many of you had similar stories to share connecting the Black Madonna and

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December 5, 2012

Invitation to Photography: Kinship with Creation

Welcome to the Abbey Photo Party! I select a theme and invite you to respond with images. Our theme here at Abbey of the Arts for December is kinship with creation, so I invite you to reflect visually on your own sense of connection with the natural world.  What wisdom does nature offer to your life? You can share images you already have, but I encourage you also to go for a walk with the theme in mind and see what you discover. How to participate: 1. Go to the Flickr Group I have created. You need a free Flickr

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December 2, 2012

December Theme: Kinship with Creation

Forest and field, sun and wind and sky, earth and water, all speak the same silent language, reminding the monk that he is here to develop like the things that grow all around him.  —Thomas Merton For the month of December, we turn our attention to the principle of kinship with creation, as found in the Monk Manifesto: 4. I commit to cultivating awareness of my kinship with creation and a healthy asceticism by discerning my use of energy and things, letting go of what does not help nature to flourish. The Abbey will be hosting a monthly Photo Party

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December 1, 2012

Visual Meditation: I live my life in widening circles

I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world. I may not complete this last one but I give myself to it. I circle around God, around the primordial tower. I’ve been circling for thousands of years and I still don’t know: am I a falcon, a storm, or a great song? —Rainer Maria Rilke The mandalas come from various doors and gates in Paris and Vienna.

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November 30, 2012

Following the Thread

There is a thread I have been following these last few months while living in Vienna which I haven’t yet shared with you, mostly because of my own amazement and wanting to respect the call without putting too many words and explanations to it. It began in late summer when two different online monk friends sent me images of Our Lady of Czestochowa, one of the Black Madonnas found in Poland.  They were drawn to send them, I felt drawn to receive them.  My journey to Vienna has much to do with healing my relatinship with my father, and I

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November 30, 2012

Hope: A CinemaDivina Prayer Offering

The theme for November here at the Abbey is community based on the third principle of the Monk Manifesto: 3. I commit to cultivating community by finding kindred spirits along the path, soul friends with whom I can share my deepest longings, and mentors who can offer guidance and wisdom for the journey. In September I introduced the wonderful work of Marilyn Freeman, a filmmaker in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. and fellow lover of the Benedictine way. One of her art forms is the practice of CinemaDivina. Rooted in the contemplative prayer and listening of lectio divina, CinemaDivina draws on film

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November 26, 2012

The “great hands of your heart”

Excerpt I am praying again, Awesome One. You hear me again, as words from the depths of me rush toward you in the wind. . . It’s here in all the pieces of my shame that now I find myself again. I yearn to belong to something, to be contained in an all-embracing mind that sees me as a single thing. I yearn to be held in the great hands of your heart — oh let them take me now. Into them I place these fragments, my life, and you, God — spend them however you want. —Rainer Maria Rilke,

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November 25, 2012

the winner of this week’s Poetry Party is. . .

. . .   Karla Grauberger!   You have won a space in my upcoming online retreat – Birthing the Holy: An Online Retreat for Advent with reflections by Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB and myself, and the wonderful art of Mary Southard, CSJ. Make sure to stop by and savor the wondrous poems offered there on the theme of community!  Thank you to everyone who participated for making the Abbey such a beautiful community of poets.

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November 25, 2012

Invitation to Poetry: Community

Welcome to the Abbey’s 62nd Poetry Party! I select an image and suggest a theme/title and invite you to respond with your own poem. Scroll down and add it in the comments section below. Feel free to take your poem in any direction and then post the image and invitation on your blog (if you have one), Facebook, or Twitter, and encourage others to come join the party!  (If you repost the photo, please make sure to include the credit link below it and link back to this post inviting others to join us). Each month we have a new

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November 18, 2012

The winner of this week’s Photo Party is. . .

Bard Judith!  Judith, contact me to confirm your email address and you will be subscribed to my upcoming online retreat – Birthing the Holy: An Online Retreat for Advent with reflections by Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB and myself, and the wonderful art of Mary Southard, CSJ. Thank you to everyone who participated.  Unfortunately I didn’t get to comment on everyone’s image this time, but I did savor each one.  I am so grateful for this creative community.  Make sure to stop by and savor the beautiful images shared here. I am heading off to Ireland tomorrow for a week, so things

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November 11, 2012

Upcoming Programs

Brother Lawrence, Friar of Love, and His Transforming Presence Practice
Brother Lawrence, Friar of Love, and His Transforming Presence Practice
13 Jun 25
Journey to Joy
Journey to Joy
20 Jun 25
Loving into Justice: Pilgrimage through the Body
Loving into Justice: Pilgrimage through the Body
15 Aug 25

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